Recipes

Five Tips For Tasty Entertaining

Posted: 6/29/2012

Simple spreads can make outdoor entertaining as breezy as the season.

(NAPSI)—Sunny skies mean impromptu potlucks—and when your friends call, you don’t want to be left scrambling. These five tips will keep you prepared when an invite comes your way:

1. Use what you have. Save time by keeping a few cupboard-friendly basics on hand: crackers, veggies or pita bread are great options that pair well with a cheese plate, dip or spread.

2. Try heatless recipes. Save yourself the sweat: Abandon the stove in favor of no-cook favorites like salads and crudités—they’re not just faster, but often healthier, too.

3. Spice up store-bought. Basic French bread turns into a swoon-worthy side when you mix up a flavored spread, such as the recipes below for Cinnamon Sugar and Nutty Island spreads.

4. The fewer the ingredients, the better. Keep it simple; when paired thoughtfully, simple ingredients—such as lemon and olive oil or cinnamon and sugar—can truly shine.

5. Taste is key. Love using butter in your recipes? The spreads below use the new Smart Balance® spreadable butter, which tastes like regular butter but has 40 percent less saturated fat because it is blended with pure canola oil—a great option for those looking for a better butter.

Cinnamon Sugar Spread
Time: 5 min.

1/2 (7.5-oz.) container Smart Balance® Spreadable Butter & Canola Oil Blend

3 Tbsp. powdered sugar

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Directions:

Combine all ingredients with an electric mixer until blended. Yield: 8 (1-Tbsp.) servings.

Per serving: 106 calories, 0g protein, 3g carbohydrates, 10g fat, 3.8g saturated fat, 4.3g monounsaturated fat, 1.4g polyunsaturated fat, 0g trans fat, 14mg cholesterol, 8mg sodium, 0g fiber.

Nutty Island Spread
Time: 5 min.

1/2 (7.5-oz.) container Smart Balance® Spreadable Butter & Canola Oil Blend

1 Tbsp. pineapple juice

2 Tbsp. powdered sugar

2 Tbsp. chopped walnuts

Directions:

Combine all ingredients with an electric mixer until blended. Yield: 10 (1-Tbsp.) servings.

Per serving: 92 calories, 0g protein, 2g carbohydrates, 9.3g fat, 3.1g saturated fat, 3.5g monounsaturated fat, 1.8g polyunsaturated fat, 0g trans fat, 1mg cholesterol, 65mg sodium, 0g fiber.

For more recipes, visit www.smartbalance.com.